Quietly awe-inspiring.
In this novel based on the award-winning documentary Seuls, three young refugees journey to Canada.
Fearless, bug-loving Afshin lives in war-torn Tehran, Iran. As Afshin approaches the age to enlist, his parents become fearful for him and decide to send him to a new country. Contemplative loner Alain, who lives in Bujumbura, Burundi, worries about his father, who’s serving in the army, and savors moments with his beloved mother. After his father’s sudden imprisonment, Alain and his family receive threats and must flee. Patricia yearns for a life where she can attend school and access the wealth she sees around her instead of helping her mother sell drinks to rich people in Kampala, Uganda. When she joins a softball team and falls in love with another girl, her parents send her away to escape the persecution that’s sure to follow. Although their reason for leaving differs, each of the protagonists seeks asylum in Canada. With considerable care, Tom succinctly conveys not only their pain, but also their joy and hope. Their stories slowly come to life through alternating first-person perspectives. The author also makes use of the second person to reel readers in and immerse them in the characters’ feelings of turmoil. Baillairgé’s dramatic illustrations add depth to Tom’s words, translated from French. Information on the real Afshin, Alain, and Patricia is appended.
Quietly awe-inspiring. (glossary) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781773069272
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
A smorgasbord of dog facts and tidbits whose distinguishing value may be to inspire interest in readers to research further.
An overview of the relationship between people and dogs.
Filled with full-color photos of children and dogs interacting (often adorable, but lacking adequate diversity; of 47 photos that include people, only nine feature people of color), this perkily designed book attempts a broad overview of the human-dog connection. Each of the book’s three parts addresses a specific topic. Part 1, “A Perfect Partnership” reiterates currently popular theories on how dogs evolved from prehistoric wolves to become domesticated by humans in prehistory as well as the development of specific dog behaviors and physical characteristics. Part 2, “The Science of Love,” relays select research conclusions about dogs’ intelligence and their emotional lives. Part 3, “Sharing Our Lives,” touches upon the collaboration between dogs and humans, whether it is for companionship, therapy, protection, or other reasons. (A double-page spread in this section, highlighting a specific doggie day care and a specific grooming salon in Montana has tenuous relevance to the theme.) Patent’s text burbles with liveliness, and the book is energetically designed with plenty of color, different-sized type, text bullets, and photographs, but the information is sometimes vague. Several sources are listed for young readers who are interested in learning more.
A smorgasbord of dog facts and tidbits whose distinguishing value may be to inspire interest in readers to research further. (sources, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-101-93104-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
The Ms. Magazine covers lining the endpapers promise an engaging read, but the rambling text may leave young readers...
A tribute to feminist icon, activist, and writer Gloria Steinem.
Several spreads cover Steinem’s childhood, with details loosely connected to the narrative. She challenged gender-based assumptions starting with her decision to go to college, where she loved the “ideas, books, and discussions about everything!” After graduation, instead of looking to marry and start a family, she traveled and wrote in India, where she listened to people talking through their problems. When she returned to the United States and looked for a job, instead of settling for work as a secretary or a teacher, she became a journalist and continued to listen to people and write. Her decision to attend and cover the March on Washington, her decision to co-found Ms. Magazine, and her organizing to become a leader of the women’s liberation movement are framed as natural outgrowths of her desire to listen and create space for people to be heard and to demand equal rights. The paragraphs can be dense, but the design often uses quotes by Steinem and a series of short sentences in display type (“Gloria believed. She marched. And dreamed”) to highlight a given spread’s main points. The illustrations, done in soft, natural colors, place the white feminist beside or in front of ethnically diverse groups of people.
The Ms. Magazine covers lining the endpapers promise an engaging read, but the rambling text may leave young readers uninspired. (author’s note, illustrator’s note, timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 8-12)Pub Date: March 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68119-676-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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